I. Introduction
A. Oaths
1. In our passage today, 7:20-21, there is another reference to oaths. Three weeks ago we talked about oaths: “For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.” (Heb.6:16–17)
2. We still use oaths or vows today — in weddings, in courtrooms, in baptisms, in church membership — when we want to show how serious we are about fulfilling a responsibility, asking God to take note of our promise.
3. Each person who has joined our church has taken five vows, including one which says, “I promise to support the church in its worship and work to the best of my ability.”
4. There are many things a church does which are there for you if you need them or if it helps you.
a. But there are two areas of the church’s life which are a part of the vow taken when joining: worship and work.
b. Worship is not something you do if you like. Worship is something we’re all called to do, unless providentially hindered. Worship is not just for you. It is for the Lord. And by worshiping, you’re also helping others to worship.
c. But we are also called to participate in the work of the church.
(1) congregational meetings
(2) missionary reports
(3) special projects and ministries
5. This is the nature of the focus groups the elders and deacons are asking the congregation to participate in this summer, which will be meeting Sundays in July and August at 9:30am.
a. If you haven’t already, please turn in your Focus Group Choice Card ASAP.
b. Plan to participate as many weeks as you will be in town, even if it’s only 1 or 2 Sundays.
c. Are we asking everyone to participate, even if they’re not interested — just out of obligation?
d. Not at all. The Bible tells us that whoever has been born of God has been infected with the love of God which moves a person to care about others (1John 4:7–8).
B. Review
1. The whole letter to the Hebrews was written to a community of Jewish Christians who had been experiencing intense persecution from their fellow Jews and pressure to return to Judaism — to persuade them not to abandon Christ.
2. One of the arguments being used by their former friends to try to undermine their Christian faith was to challenge the idea that Jesus could be a high priest since He was from the tribe of Judah, not the priestly tribe of Levi.
3. The way the author responds to this challenge in the first part of chapter 7 is by pointing out that before the Levitical priesthood was ever established there was a priest in Gen.14 by the name of Melchizedek, and that Ps.110:4 prophesies that the messiah will be a priest after the order of this Melchizedek.
C. In Hebrews 7:11–22 he moves on along the same lines as what he said in 1-11. He even repeats some of the things we talked about last week. At first blush it looks like there's nothing new. But there is. If you look closer you see that he takes another step in his argument.
II. Here is Hebrews 7:11–22 with some of my own explanatory comments (in squiggly brackets{}):
A. 11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood {from OT Levitical priesthood to NT priesthood of Jesus}, there is necessarily a change in the law as well {It was the OT law which defined and prescribed the role and rules re: the Levitical priesthood. So, if the priesthood is to be superceded, there must be a new law to supercede the old law, one which lays out the role and rules of the new priesthood. See Heb.7:18-19.}. 13 For the one of whom these things are spoken {Jesus} belonged to another tribe {Judah}, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek {Jesus}, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent {as in the Levitical/Aaronic priesthood}, but by the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed of him {Jesus}, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” {Ps.110:4} 18 For on the one hand, a former commandment {the OT economy} is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope {the gospel of Jesus} is introduced, through which we draw near to God. 20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests {Levitical priests and Aaronic high priests} were made such without an oath, 21 but this one {Jesus} was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’ ” {Ps.110:4, again} 22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
III. Themes of Hebrews 7:11–22
A. Christ is a greater priest than the Levitical priests.
1. Last week in Hebrews 7:1-10 this scene was set before us: Levi (in Abraham’s loins) offering a tithe to and being blessed by Jesus (represented by Melchizedek). All of this was designed to demonstrate the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus over the OT Levitical priesthood. And this continues to be the main theme in 11-22.
2. The power of an indestructible life
a. The Levitical priesthood was based on a legal requirement having to do with bodily descent. The law said if you were a priest if your father was a priest.
b. But Jesus “has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.” (v.16)
c. This is the only time this Greek word (translated indestructible) is used in the NT, though it is the opposite of a word (a-) which is used a lot, meaning to level, to destroy, to ruin, to dismantle.
d. Jesus is the One who lives. (Rev.1:17-18) He is the one who was, who is, and who is to come. (Rev.1:8) He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb.13:8)
e. The indestructible nature of His life is made clear by the fact of His resurrection. He humbled Himself to the point of death. But no power overcame Him. He let it go, in order to save from sin, and then was raised from the dead whereby He showed the indestructibility of His life.
f. This is why we don’t need to panic and fret when we see darkness descending in our lives. No matter how hopeless our situation appears, no matter how bleak our prospects look, we are cared for and sustained by an indestructible life.
g. This is why we don’t need to panic and fret when we see darkness descending in our world.
(1) How dark things look sometimes. Will the fire be snuffed out? Will the light be put out?
(2) It might look like Christianity is faltering and ready to come crashing down, but the fact is that it is sustained by an indestructible power.
(3) It might look like Christianity is too ancient to fit in the modern world, but the fact is that is long after you and I are gone, long after this modern world has become ancient, Jesus will still live. 1000 years from now, when our era will be ancient history, He will still be on the throne, He will still be the high priest for His people, unless of course He’s already returned and inaugurated the new heavens and the new earth.
h. This indestructible nature of His life is reaffirmed by the fact that
(1) He comes with an oath (20-21),
(2) He is the guarantor of a new covenant (v.22),
(3) He is a priest forever (v.17).
(a) 17 For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
(b) “A priest forever” can’t be disbarred; He can’t be retired; He can’t be deposed; He can’t be overcome. He is indestructible.
3. Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet, eventually superceded by Mohammed. He’s a stage.
a. But the NT tells us that Jesus doesn’t just come as an improvement. He doesn’t just come as an upgrade. He is not just the next new thing.
b. He is the end. He is the finale. He is the fulfillment. He is the culmination and the consummation.
4. 20-22 is one sentence in the Greek. And Jesus is the last word of the sentence. It all leads to Him.
5. Every one of us is going to either bet our lives that Jesus is Lord, or bet our lives He isn’t.
a. You can bet against Jesus being Mr. Everything. But what are you going to do on that day when He pulls the shroud of His hiddenness back and reveals Himself to be all the Scriptures say He is?
b. Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to on that day?
B. Christ the new high priest brings a new law.
1. We see this repeated in three different verses.
a. 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.
b. 18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect)
c. 22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
2. The coming of Jesus means the coming of a new law, a new structure, a new system.
3. Jesus said this Himself when He said the new wine requires new wineskins (Luke 5:36-39).
4. Jesus came to change things, not to maintain the status quo, not to return things to the good old days.
5. You might ask: Why in the world would someone ever prefer the old to the new?
a. Human nature: before they cross into the promised land, the Israelites who had been delivered from slavery were longing to go back to Egypt.
b. We grow attached to things which are familiar, comfortable, not scary. It’s like an old friend. Sometimes it's very hard for us to let go of things we get attached to. This is what homesickness is. This is what withdrawal is.
c. It’s so Biblical (OT religion, that is)! And so conservative! It is “tried and true!”
6. The author is explaining why his readers can’t just go back to Judaism and stop believing in Jesus.
7. It shows us that if you’re going to be a follower of Jesus, you need too be ready to let go of stuff.
8. We can’t just say, I prefer the OT to the NT so I’m going to emphasize that.
a. No, we have been given the whole Bible. And the OT is fulfilled and transformed by Jesus.
b. There has been “a change in the law.”
c. The issue isn’t which you enjoy more or which you’re more comfortable with or even which you get more out of.
d. When Jesus comes into your life He comes not as an affirmer but as a redesigner. The whole structure needs to be rebuilt around Him.
9. Over the past year, I have repeatedly talked about the danger of OT Christianity.
a. Hebrews makes it clear that we must not mix OT priestly ritual with our Christianity. Structuring our worship or church life after old patterns instead of the new is going in the wrong direction.
b. Earthly high priests? Temples? Cleansing ceremonies? Holy water? Sacrifices? Incense? Priests?
10. The book of Hebrews speaks often about the OT-style priesthood as if it is a thing of the past age.
a. The only mentions of priesthood in the NT are of Jesus as our high priest (throughout Hebrews) and of all believers as priests in...
b. 1Peter 2:5 “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
11. Childhood is a beautiful thing. But it's not an end in itself. If a person still acts like a child when 25yrs old, there's something wrong.
a. I saw a mom at Wegmans this week. She had stopped shopping and was just playing with her baby, who was sitting in the cart. It was so precious. But if you saw a mom playing with her 25 year old in the same way that would be different.
b. Likewise the OT system was beautiful. But it was not an end in itself. It was a stage of development for the people of God, a stage in the progressive revelation of God’s redemptive plan. It was an important stage, but it was just a stage, meant to be superceded. And if you continue to live in the OT system once Christ the law-changer has come, you’re off-base.
12. The old system was superceded partly because it was imperfect and ultimately powerless.
a. One of prominent themes in this passage is that the old things were weak and needed to be replaced. It was necessary to have a new system.
b. It’s not just that Jesus couldn’t be a Levitical priest because of being from Judah. It was also because a better priesthood than the Levitical one was needed. The Levitical priests and even the Aaronic high priests couldn’t do the job.
c. It was flawed on purpose: like Abraham, like Moses, David, like Solomon, like John the Baptist were all flawed — to distinguish them from the perfect Messiah.
13. In the chapters to come the author tells us more about why we need to let go of a number of things connected with the old covenant: high priests, priests, temples, sacrifices.
C. Jesus brings us the ultimate blessing: nearness to God.
1. The OT system was all about distance from God — man’s approach to God was cluttered by temple barriers including the priesthood.
2. But when Jesus comes, “a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.” (19b)
3. Nearness to God is what it’s all about.
4. “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ...reconciling us to God ...through the cross... For through him we...have access in one Spirit to the Father.” – Ephesians 2:13–18
5. On account of Christ, Hebrews 4:16 calls to us, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
6. Nearness to God is everything. Through sin we were separated from God and now Jesus comes to reconcile us to God, to bring us back to Him again.
7. How near? To answer this questions, let’s look at something Jesus said to His disciples on the last evening before the cross,, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16–17)
a. I have studied this passage in depth. And the only conclusion I think one can come to is that the Holy Spirit is WITH the disciples in that the Spirit dwells in Jesus (a la Luke 3:21-22; 4:1, 18) who is with them. And that the Spirit will be IN them once Jesus ascends to heaven and pours His Spirit upon His people at Pentecost. Believers are so near to God that the language of the Bible is that He actually lives inside us. You can’t get any closer than that.
8. We don’t need priests or saints or Mary. We are the very children of God who have been brought near through Jesus.